By Olivia Eiken | Staff Writer
It’s not a Baylor football game at McLane Stadium without the Baylor Line.
The Baylor Line has been a major Baylor tradition for over 50 years. Starting in 1970, the Line was created as a short-term solution to get fans interested in the football program coming off a 0-10 season the year prior. Since the mid ’90s, the tradition has morphed into something much larger than anyone could have imagined.
Each home game, the freshman class and first-year transfer students have the opportunity to run the Line. The eager students are held back by members of Baylor Chamber of Commerce and the Line team. When the hold breaks, the first-year stampede runs diagonally across the field to form a tunnel for the football team to make their entrance. It’s described as a tradition and experience like no other.
Orange County, Calif., junior Beau Blakely, chair of the Baylor Line team, explained the magnitude of the Baylor Line ahead of this season’s first football game.
“It’s one of the most visible Baylor traditions and probably the thing new students look forward to the most when they come to school here,” Blakely said. “It’s something that a lot of now students grew up hearing their parents who went here talk about.”
Flanders, N.J., junior Jenna Galdi, vice chair of the Baylor Line team, said she views the tradition as a staple of the overall freshman and first-year experience.
“It’s one of the first major things that freshmen are able to get involved in,” Galdi said. “That, and they’re all very excited to get their jerseys. It’s just one of the main points that attract students to Baylor, which is awesome.”
Blakely described the feeling of holding back the Line as something almost unimaginable.
“It’s pretty wild,” Blakely said. “You can see the whole stadium in front of you, and you have the whole freshman class behind you. It’s exhilarating, scary and fun all at the same time. It’s so cool to be a part of stewarding the tradition here at Baylor and actually being a part of what makes the tradition work.”
Saturday’s game will be the first time Galdi leads the Line onto the field, as she was one of the flag runners last year.
“I am so excited and so anxious, but mostly excited,” Galdi said. “It’s going to be very different from what I did last year.”
Leading the Line brings back special memories for Blakely, who is coming full circle.
“Running the Line as a freshman was the first time I felt like I was part of the Baylor Family,” Blakely said. “Now, being on the other side of that, it’s so cool to see thousands of other students have the same experience I had.”